Dear Dr. Donahue: Pap smear results, simply translated

Pap smear results, simply translated

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Give me some information on HPV and ASCUS. I don't know if I have HPV, but my doctor told me to come back in six months for a repeat Pap smear.

Few medical tests have made such a profound impact on reducing cancer statistics than has the Pap smear. It detects abnormal cells early so that the appropriate treatment also can be started early. Since the introduction of the Pap smear, mortality from cervical cancer has been cut in half.

ASCUS means "atypical squamous cells of unknown significance." "Atypical" indicates that the cells aren't exactly normal but that they aren't cancer cells, either. Squamous (SKWAY-mus) cells are the cells that line the cervix, the ones that can become cancerous.

In translation, your report says you have some strange-looking cells that aren't cancer but aren't normal. The usual approach to this situation is to repeat the smear in three to six months. By that time, harmless changes should have cleared.

HPV — human papillomavirus — is the cause of cervical cancer. No cancer changes were seen. No evidence of HPV was noted. If you were infected, your doctor would not have hesitated to tell you so. All you have to do is make sure you have the repeat test so the issue can be cleared up once and for all.

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